Obliteration
by Siriusly Orion Wicked
Summary: November 9, 1989. There's been a major 'Magical Incident' that has The Darkness and The Light scrambling. The rumour of a weapon that can end it all threatens everything. Trust, already hard to find, becomes hard to keep, and new alliances impossible to conceive. Before long, hope starts to feel like a long forgotten dream.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I know I'm not revealing much about this story. Most of the important bits will become apparent soon. I just want to give at least some of you the feeling of reading a book, meaning, you won't know the pairings or how things will turn out based on the summary or character search just now.

So, here goes nothing!

This has been on the works for years and years, yeah, I know. I'm trying to find it in myself to just put all I have out there. Let's see how it goes.

Keep in mind, if you're coming along for the ride, this is going for the long haul. This story is a monster of a story. I've plans for more than 60 chapters and I'm not entirely sure how many will come out when all is said and done, so…

You've been warned.

Siriusly Wicked.

 **...**

 **Sunday, November 25, 1989**

He had been on assignment three weeks with no contact from home. For two of those weeks, he'd been sitting in the middle of the woods, alone and with very little food to sustain himself.

The suspected Death Eaters he had been tracking had disappeared not long after he found them and he was now guarding what he supposed was their abandoned camp. He'd tried to contact base a week after their disappearance, to ask if he should abandon the mission. His instructions, however, remained the same: stay the six weeks he'd been assigned.

It was nearing the end of the third week and his patience was growing thin. The suspects were nowhere to be seen and hadn't even tried to come back for the things they had left behind. They had simply up and apparated away. Perhaps he had been made or someone had tipped them off about being watched.

The loneliness was starting to get to him.

Three weeks without speaking to another human being had him at wits end. It was raining, he was cold, and an animal of some kind kept wailing somewhere nearby. He looked around, trying to see if he was in any immediate danger. He had put up the customary protective charms but still looked around, just in case. It wouldn't do to get attacked by a wild animal.

After five minutes he finally got up to investigate. He heard something move and turned around quickly, only to find himself face to face to the ugliest, strangest bird he had ever seen.

The bird looked sickly, yet its eyes were sharp and threatening. Its beak was small and rounded, and its body was thin, patches of missing feathers in several places. The feathers that remained were bright yellow and green, most of which were ruffled. Overall, it seemed to have been through a rough ordeal and was clearly in a very bad mood, but appeared otherwise harmless.

The wizard's first mistake was to turn his back on the wretched thing.

As soon as he turned his back, the bird landed on his shoulder. Merlin knows how the thing could fly, with half of its feathers missing, but it immediately starting pecking aggressively at the wizard's head. The rounded beak, that he had thought harmless a moment before, was so hard, it half-succeeded in denting his head as he tried to get the bloody thing off of him.

"Ow, fuck. Fuck! Get the fuck off!"

Finally gathering his wits, he managed to get his wand and cast a bubble charm around his head before the bird could get another peck in. That was his second mistake.

For a moment there was nothing, but then he realised the bird was _inside_ the protective bubble. Suddenly the beast was trying to peck his eyes out, somewhat ineffectively, but did manage to scratch up his face..

"What the fuck? Off! Off, you wretched creature!" he yelled as he cancelled the bubble charm and at last threw an _Incarcerous_ its way.

The wild thing struggled with the ropes that confined it, a savage look in its eyes that seemed out of place in the eyes of what looked to be a half dead parrot.

"For fuck's sake," he said, trying to regain his breath. The bird let out a squeaky growl-like-sound that made him jump. "That's it! Fuck this," he said to the empty camp.

He picked up everything he could find around the camp, shrunk it, and into a bag it all went. With a glare at the still restrained parrot and one last look around, he was gone with a _crack._

* * *

Once he arrived at the Ministry, he had a quick look at what he had collected, then put protection charms on the bag and hid it. He decided to apparate straight to Headquarters, knowing that if any of his friends were not on assignment, that's where they would be.

He landed on the front lawn of a great manor. He almost felt at peace, watching the calm exterior of their war base. It had remained unharmed, which was more than could be said for some of their other safe-houses. Unable to wait any longer, he swiftly entered through the front door. Upon entering the kitchen,he was rewarded with a series of excited smiles and yells.

"Sirius!"

"Glad you're still in one piece, Black!"

"No hurting those looks of yours, aye?"

He smiled and greeted everyone politely, disappointed to see that his friends were nowhere to be found.

Dorcas noticed his disappointment and smiled sweetly at him. "They're plotting in the living room," she said. Sirius shot her a dazzling smile as a thank you and almost skipped his way back out of the kitchen to find them.

The animagus found his friends huddled in the corridor that led to the library. Dorcas had described them accurately, for they looked to be cooking up some mischief or other, heads bowed together in a quiet discussion. Lily was reading quietly on a sofa in the nearby living room.

Lily noticed him first, she stood up and hugged him without saying a word. They remained like that for a long moment, savouring the now rare times together. Missions were becoming more and more frequent and they were rarely off duty at the same time.

"I've missed you, Lils," Sirius said. And he had. She had become an important part of his life, even if he had been somewhat reluctant in the beginning.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, concerned. Lily's eyes suddenly grew sharp as she took in his appearance and turned him around to check his back and his legs, then back around again to inspect his arms and chest.

Sirius had yet to look himself in a mirror, but he guessed the bloody parrot had left some scratches on his face.

"I had a little run-in with a wild animal, nothing to be concerned about." She looked at him skeptically, so he gathered her in his arms again and reassured her by saying, "I'm fine. I promise."

Immediately, Lily relaxed into his arms and after a moment said, "I can't believe we're here, all at the same time! Peter is leaving this afternoon, though. But we'll get a good couple of hours together before that." Sirius could feel her smiling into his chest, the feeling filled him with warmth; it made him feel like he was home. "I thought you were staying for another three weeks."

"I was supposed to, but I finished off early. I think something big has happened, something the Death Eaters didn't expect, because they suddenly stopped what they were doing and disappeared in the middle of it. Left everything behind, too." The Death Eaters he had been tracking through Ireland had been working on some sort of research, all written down in code. Sirius hoped the intelligence he had brought back would be enough to crack it. If not, he had wasted weeks of his life, weeks he could have spent with his friends. He couldn't bear the thought of it.

"I shrunk everything I could find and disapparated. Took it all to the Ministry in case there was a tracking charm," he continued. It was getting harder to force his Order agenda into his Auror duties. Having to pretend he had secret informants and making up information in order to leave, to follow the leads of the Order, was becoming increasingly difficult.

Times were dangerous and trust wasn't easily earned. He was lucky in that Moody was one of his superiors, yet lying on public record and forging information so as not to alert the enemy wasn't only a necessity, but it was also dangerous. It could land him in Azkaban if he wasn't careful.

"Not that I think we'll get anything out of it. It looked like right gibberish, strong spells, too. Hopefully Dorcas can prove me wrong. If anyone can crack it, it's her," he said with a smile.

"So, the mission wasn't a complete waste and you're back early. Today is shaping up to be a great day!" Lily's bright demeanour was so contagious. He couldn't help smiling back and hugging her again.

"I'm glad that we can all be here," said Sirius, looking over at his mates.

"Oh, so you're done having a private audience with _my_ wife? Ready to acknowledge your measly friends, are you?" The three men that were distracted before, were now all facing him in a row, two smiles and a fake scowl on their faces.

"Why would I pay attention to you pathetic mutts when I can be talking to this vision in red?" Sirius scoffed, hiding a smile. "We're planning on running away together and leaving all your sorry arses. Particularly yours, Prongs. We're thinking the Bahamas is as good a place as any to start over and have a litter of our own."

"Mutts! He dares call us mutts! The gall of him! Can you believe it, Moony?" James huffed indignantly.

"That's the bit he protests. Unbelievable." Lily rolled her eyes at her husband, staying in Sirius' arms.

"Oh, I know you'd never leave me, my Lily flower! I know my messy hair and charming good looks have gripped your heart beyond repair," James said, removing her from his best mate's arms and dipping her low, sprinkling kisses on her neck and her jaw.

"Get off, that tickles! James, you'll drop me!" The redhead couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her.

"Never!" He grabbed her harder, lifted her up and started twirling her around. The other three watched, happy for their friend. It was moments like these that made them feel like no time had passed since they'd graduated.

As the couple fought for dominance, Sirius took a chance to properly greet his other two friends standing patiently near the hallway.

Remus looked almost grey, but the smile on his face could have lit up an entire dungeon. It was clear his own missions had taken a toll on him. Sirius took a quick inventory of the new scars his friend carried on his face and arms - and those were only the ones he could see. When the animagus went to embrace him, Remus moved forward to greet him back, and Sirius noticed a slight limp on his left leg. A strong hug and a couple of slaps on the back reaffirmed the certainty that they were equally happy to see each other. Seeing Remus was always cause for good humour.

Peter was trying to appear at ease. His body language, however, gave him away. There was a restlessness in his watery eyes that unsettled Sirius. The war was affecting their small friend in ways the other three couldn't understand. They had to protect him at all costs; Peter was too pure for the likes of war. He wouldn't make it on his own. Sirius hugged the other animagus with gusto, making Peter squeak a bit, and Sirius smile.

"See? She'd never leave me for the likes of you, Pads," James said, marking his statement by kissing Lily soundly on the mouth. Apparently, the tickling war was over and they were free to notice the rest of the world once again. Lily simply smiled into the kiss, knowing that he spoke the truth. However, she couldn't let him know _that_.

"Don't worry, Sirius, we'll leave tonight when he falls asleep," she stage whispered over James's shoulder.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!"

The tickling war resumed for another minute before Lily ended up sitting over James's chest, his arm twisted at a painful angle and being forced to surrender. The other three just watched and laughed at the result.

"So, what were you lot up to earlier? It looked like proper mischief! Leaving me out, are you?" Sirius asked, teasingly.

Forgetting all about his humiliation by Lily, James quickly got off the floor and said, "Mate, you've got no idea." Grabbing Remus and Peter, Sirius quickly found himself a part of the huddle he had first witnessed upon entering the living room. "Something is going on. We don't know what exactly _what_ , but something is definitely going on."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, his interest piqued at once.

"A lot happened while you were gone," said Peter.

"Caradoc was following Bellatrix, she was taking a package of some kind to Gringotts. On her way back home, she spotted him and they dueled. He said she almost had him, but then, just as she was about to strike, she grabbed her mark and apparated away," James explained.

"When was this?" asked Sirius, thinking about the strange behaviour of his own targets.

"About two weeks ago," replied Peter.

"Yes! Shit, that's exactly what happened with the Death Eaters I was surveilling!" Sirius interrupted. "Around the same time they all just up and left. Left everything behind too. At first I thought they were onto me following them and wanted me to take their stuff, give us false leads or something. I took precautions,I left it all at the Ministry in case there was a trace, still, I don't think they left it there for me."

"Yours weren't the only ones. Similar reports came from other people in the field. All reported or known Death Eaters vanished around the same time. I think we can assume they were all at the same meeting," added Remus with a knowing look..

"We suspect He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named sensed a magical outburst and called in all his dogs." At Sirius' glare, Peter tried to rephrase. "I mean…"

"Wait, a magical outburst?" asked Sirius, confused.

"What Wormtail was trying to say is, not long after you left, there was a major _magical incident_. Immediately afterwards, they all disappeared, all of them, for a few hours. It took us a week to figure out this all happened at the same time and another week to account for all the Ministry employees who suddenly vanished," continued James. "They didn't all leave at the same time. Only those who bear the mark vanished without notice. But then there was a swarm of other employees that took leave for some reason or another."

"Padfoot, they're all over. It wouldn't take a huge effort on their part to take over the Ministry. Every department has at least five of them and spreading, they're like Dragon Pox. We knew they had influence or had a presence there, but never could we have imagined something of this scale," Remus said in a worried voice.

"It all suddenly makes sense. The silence about the Muggle and Muggleborn cases around the Ministry, and their general incompetence; the non-existent coverage in The Prophet about the disappearances, all of it! This is how, this is how all those things have gone under the table," half-shouted James, forgetting that they were trying to be secretive.

A strong shush came from Lily, who didn't even bother to look up from the book she was reading.

"Speaking of the Ministry's incompetence, they only released a statement _yesterday_ about the magical disturbance. A singularity, they called it. A magical outburst that hasn't seen it's equal in recorded history. They've declared that no harm came from it, but Flitwick says no magical activity of that kind can happen without some sort of cause or reaction," James continued in a whisper.

"For fuck's sake, I can't go away without the whole world falling apart. I can't leave you lot unsupervised!" Sirius laughed half heartedly. "Shit, but is this progress? Have we gathered any other useful intelligence, other than their current presence at the Ministry?"

"That's no small feat, Sirius," defended Remus.

"No, other than that, we know nothing new about the incident or the Death Eater's activities whatsoever," James replied, sounding frustrated.

"Pettigrew!" a voice suddenly bellowed from the kitchen. Peter jumped and looked over his shoulder nervously.

"Better be off. I'm supposed to go on assignment in a few. It was good to see you guys," said Peter with a watery smile. Goodbyes and hugs were exchanged, Lily came over to give him a kiss on the cheek, and after a moment he left the room. His friends had offered to walk him out but Peter was not one for long goodbyes.

"I'm worried about him," said Sirius, once he was gone.

"He's had a rough few months. His mum keeps writing these nasty letters telling him he's abandoned her, that he's an ungrateful son and should be ashamed of himself," Remus said.

"I swear, if I didn't have Walburga as a mother, I would say Pete's mum is about as wretched as they come," said Sirius heatedly.

"He's one of the few who is actually allowed correspondence. Dumble— Dumbledore! Mate, we forgot all about that!" exclaimed James.

"What? What about Dumbledore?" asked Sirius, alarmed.

Remus looked at him straight in the eye before saying, "Padfoot, Dumbledore is missing."

…

 **AN: I've taken up doing Recs, and todays is an oldie but extraordinaire-ie. A Long And Winding Road by Ceredwen. Most of you have probably not been around long enough to follow as this brilliant writer updated her stories like I did, but she's a fucking legend for most old Sirimione readers/writers. This story in particular is a Sirimione one-shot that made me hurt, ache, long, love and JKALFBHALB. Fuck if that isn't a devine read. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This story won't be updated this often but I couldn't keep myself from posting this chapter today.**

 **Happy Birthday, Harry!**

 **Siriusly Wicked**

 **...**

 **Sunday, December 2, 1989**

Sirius had been chastised, booted back to Ireland and ordered to survey the camp he had been assigned in case its occupants decided to come back. He wouldn't have been able to put back the stuff he had gathered in their original positions. His mission, rather, was to try to assess if, and what, the Death Eaters noticed was missing.

After a week, he was finally allowed to return to Headquarters.

Remus, Lily and James were there again. James had taken a nasty slicing hex to the leg, an amputation almost. Remus had to wait a couple of days until his new assignment and Lily had been temporarily suspended from field activity.

"There's a lot of gossip going around headquarters. Before disappearing, Dumbledore had been absent most of the meetings, and even when he did show up, he simply listened for the first ten minutes and took off again," said James. He was sprawled in his bed in an awkward position, but it was the only one he had found that didn't hurt his leg. Sirius and Remus were sitting on the edge of the bed, trying not to make any sudden moves that might hurt their friend.

"Any suspicions?" asked Sirius, his curiosity taking on a life of its own.

"No, but what we know is this: three weeks ago, something happened. Dumbledore apparated right out of headquarters in the middle of the monthly meeting. We all thought the worst, of course, with Dorcas in the field." Remus frowned before continuing. "At the time we didn't know about the magical incident, but now we're thinking Dumbledore must have felt it too."

"Alastor almost lost his shit, I swear I've never seen him so crazed. He wanted to go after Dumbledore himself but he had no clue as to where he went. Search parties were being organised but he reappeared a few hours later,"

"After that, Dumbledore has been behaving strangely. Nothing too strange to us, the old coot has always done as he pleases without giving the rest of us any explanations. But Moody… Moody was on edge," added James.

"Wormtail was here yesterday. He overheard McGonagall having a chat with Charlus. They were concerned, too. Apparently they've all been worried about Dumbledore's behaviour, said he was acting strange until his disappearance." said Remus as he ran a hand distractedly through his hair. A habit they had all picked up from James.

"How do they know he's actually missing?" wondered Sirius.

"He hasn't checked in with anyone for the past week and a half. The only reason nobody presumes him dead is that, well, he's Albus-fucking-Dumbledore," said James.

That was all he was able to learn before Moody hunted him down and gave him another assignment. James remained at headquarters, Sirius was given a new pair of idiots to follow and Remus left for his own assignment two days later.

* * *

 **Tuesday, December 4, 1989**

They weren't particularly careful, his targets. They said their destination out loud twice before apparating away; they used their real names every so often, and they never checked if they were being followed. It was too easy.

For a moment, Sirius contemplated the possibility of it being an ambush. They didn't need to check if they were being followed if they already knew he was there. The paranoia started to set in when they reached a shabby-looking, rundown pub somewhere in Knockturn Alley and he spotted the two men waiting around the entrance. Sirius made the quick decision of transforming into Padfoot before getting closer.

"Think he'll show?" asked the one called Rosier.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I guess we'll have to wait and see," replied the one called Wilkes.

Ten minutes went by while the pair waited silently. Finally, a figure appeared, a hooded cloak completely covering it. None of its features could be made out, even with his canine senses, but Sirius made a point of committing the person's scent to memory. The three of them ducked into the alley behind the pub.

"I hear your master is looking for something," said a deep voice from beneath the hood.

"He is," replied Wilkes. "He's not the only one, either."

"Yes, I've heard Dumbledore has been hunting something across the whole of Britain," confirmed the cloaked man.

"Someone is protecting and hiding the weapon, although it is always foolish to refuse The Dark Lord," said Rosier.

"Perhaps if you tell me what this weapon is, I could provide a better service," suggested the cloaked man. "I'm very resourceful; it may be that I can find another of such an object and spare us all the trouble of hunting down whoever is attempting to protect it."

"The Dark Lord won't be more specific. I _will_ tell you, no matter how resourceful you are, you won't find its like elsewhere. Our Lord has said it is unique and alone in its existence," said Wilkes.

"This sort of enterprise does not come cheaply. I'll be competing with Albus Dumbledore himself for the prize," said the cloaked man.

"You would do well to remember who you're dealing with. Money's no object, but keep in mind, dear fellow, that those who fail The Dark Lord pay a very steep price," sneered Wilkes threateningly.

"No need for such theatrics. It's settled, then. I'll find this brave man who is hiding your weapon and I expect to be rewarded accordingly," the cloaked man snapped back.

"And so you shall," said Rosier.

With nothing else to add, the man was off, almost running into Sirius, who was hiding in the corner in dog form.

"Should we follow him?" asked Rosier.

"No. If he's foolish enough to try to cross The Dark Lord, let him try. If he finds him, our Lord will have no problem retrieving what is his, and if he doesn't, I heard the Dark Lord intends to go after the weapon himself," replied Wilkes.

Sirius followed Wilkes for two more days, trying to gather anything else that would be of use.

The meeting with the cloaked man had Sirius' head reeling. Dumbledore was trying to get a weapon of some sort, secure it before Voldemort could get to it.

What could it possibly be? What more could Voldemort wish? A weapon of mass destruction? A wizard like that would hardly need more than his wand to improve his destructive capabilities. For the first time since the beginning of the war, Sirius was well and truly scared. He'd been afraid before, but never on this level of pure fear.

What if Voldemort got his hands on the weapon before Dumbledore?

Not knowing what it was, or what was at stake, was making it worse. His imagination took license, digging into the most horrifying creases in his mind. Lily had told him stories, horrible stories about the Muggle World Wars. Was it a similar weapon? One that could obliterate a whole city? Their city? His friends, what would happen to his friends? They were his only family.

He was starting to hyperventilate. It took an enormous effort on his part to gather himself back up and breathe slowly, allowing his brain to oxygenate properly.

 _Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._

By the time he got back to headquarters, the meeting had already taken place. Moody and Charlus were the only senior members that remained.

"Moody, Dad, could I have a word?" Sirius asked anxiously, running a nervous hand through his hair.

One look at his son and Charlus quickly led him into the study.

"Are you alright, son?" Charlus asked immediately after closing and warding the door.

"I'm fine, I just… I have something," said Sirius. Moody became very attentive at this point.

"Get on with it, boy!" Moody barked when Sirius hesitated.

In a rush, Sirius told them all that he had overheard between Rosier, Wilkes and the mystery man. Moody swore once or twice throughout the tale, cursing the Death Eaters, Voldemort and Dumbledore in turn.

"Bloody old fool! What the fuck does he think he's doing? Does he think so highly of himself that help could only hinder his attempts at retrieving whatever this weapon is?" Moody swung his arms violently as he spoke.

"Perhaps I should reintroduce you to Albus when he gets home? Clearly, you don't know the man at all," said Charlus calmly, a single eyebrow raised in incredulity.

"Shut it, Potter. This is a disaster. A weapon. A _weapon_. As if the enemy needed more resources on their side!" Moody shouted to towards the ceiling as if asking the universe why this was happening.

Sirius left them to go check on James and bring him up to speed. Of course, he was asked to keep the information confidential, but there was no such thing as confidential between him and his friends.

* * *

"Fuck, this is serious, mate," said James after Sirius was finished retelling the story. "Don't you dare," he warned, glaring at his mate.

"I know, I know," said Sirius, a smile still lingering on his face. "Remember the stories Lily told us, about her grandfather going to the Muggle War?" he asked, the smile vanishing completely.

"Yeah."

"What if this is like that?" Sirius asked in a small voice.

"It's not. It won't be," said James in a sure tone. "It can't be."

"But what if it is?"

"Then we'll fucking win anyway," James replied, still sounding confident.

Sirius had to smile again. As long as he had James, he could face Voldemort himself. Fuck everything else.

"Where's Lily?"

"She wasn't feeling well, she went to the healer," James told him. "Moony and Wormy are also off somewhere, secret missions and some other bollocks," he said, suddenly pouting.

"Moody said I should be getting a new assignment tomorrow morning as well," said Sirius resignedly.

James let out a long sigh. "I just want us to be all together. It seems so long ago now, that we could have more than an hour in the same house."

"I know, mate," agreed Sirius. "I guess this is all so we can do that again without having to worry about Lily or our friends."

James looked at Sirius then. They both drew strength from each other and there was nothing in his friend that he didn't love. He would lay down his life for that smug mutt any day. The same was true for Lily, the love of his life, and for Remus and Peter.

But Sirius, his first friend, his _best_ friend, his brother… yes, he was right. Anything and everything was worth the protection and the preservation of the lives of those he loved.

"Well, seems like it's just you and me tonight!" said James, cheerful once again. "How 'bout you go look for that bottle of firewhiskey I left in the bushes behind the kitchen?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" yelled Sirius with a mock salute, before marching down the stairs to hunt down said bottle.

The bottle was found and half downed between blinks; both men were cheerfully singing some sort of Italian tarantella by the time Lily found them.

"This is what I got myself into, is it? My husband and his best mate, drunk for no other reason than the fact that they are together. Is that it?" she asked in mock indignation.

"It is indeed, Madame! Except we are not drunk yet, nor do we need any better reason to drink than each others company!" replied her husband raising the bottle in his hand enthusiastically.

"I was conned into this marriage, no doubt," she said as she walked to the dresser, taking off her cloak.

"I'm sorry, Madame, but you were asked and you said, without coercion, I may add, 'I do'. The responsibility, then, lies solely on _you_." James's tone and manner aspired to be matter of fact, but the slight slurring of his words somewhat dampened the desired effect.

"And I suppose the harassment, that lasted seven years, mind you, of my person by my husband is not be taken as evidence, in the consideration of possible coercion, or decision making under duress, is it?" she challenged back.

"If it is to be considered coercion, then it may only be so as a synonym of persuasion, and even then, in the context of a courtship! I will not stand for more slandering in this state! Poor me, in my death bed. To be hounded by my wife as to my nefarious purposes towards her. And if I do have nefarious purposes, they are _not_ the ones I'm being accused of!" The last part was said in whisper, James's eyebrows eyebrows waggling meaningfully.

Of course, this was heard by Lily who threw a shoe at her husband, who faked pain, before she mumbled something that sounded remarkably like ' _As if you could fulfil those promises in that pitiful state_ ' to the two wizards.

"What can I possibly make of this assault?" James said pitifully, turning to Sirius.

"It is not to be born! Sir Prongs, I say you have been most dreadfully treated. Your leg, barely attached to your body, might grow a mind to escape by itself and away from such attacks!" exclaimed an equally slurring Sirius, his arms flailing about dramatically during his speech, attempting to mimic what a single running leg might look like.

"Perhaps my husband will forgive my slight if he were to shut his gob for long enough, so I may relate to him the news I bear," Lily snapped back.

"Gossip! That shall quench all our woes, I dare say!" said Sirius cheerfully, a goofy smile on his face.

"On with it, then! Keep us no longer in suspense, if you please!" demanded James, his mannerisms not unlike those of a general.

"I have a confession to make," said Lily dramatically, a hand half covering her face. "My dear husband is no longer the person I love most on this earth" A sly but undoubtedly happy smile was on her face.

"I knew it! We're running off together, are we not?" Sirius jumped from his seat on the bed, and in his inebriated state, tumbled his way face first onto the floor.

"I'm afraid not, Lord Black. My heart still belongs to a Mister Potter, indeed," she replied cheekily.

"Another Potter! If it is not I, am I to understand you're leaving me for my father? That is a very dark kink indeed, my dear, I must say!" exclaimed an indignant James.

"Indeed, you are wrong once again," said Lily in a softer voice. The smile on her face was no longer teasing. It had turned true, and it illuminated her face in such a way that for a moment, both men were temporarily distracted by it.

"If it is not I, nor my father, what Potter can it be?" asked James, suddenly sober, not daring to hope for the reply he most wanted.

"Why, a brand new Potter altogether, of course," said Lily, her smile shining from her eyes and every feature of her beautiful face

It took a moment for the words to break through the fog of alcohol in the minds of the wizards, but finally the news hit home and the two men looked at each other before looking back to Lily.

"Are you serious?" James asked her, all traces of joking gone.

And for the first time in his life, it didn't even occur to Sirius to make the lame joke, distracted as he was by the momentous news. Lily simply nodded her head and waited for their reaction.

"I'm going to be a father?" James asked again, astonished.

Lily could feel her heart melt at the sheer hope, and longing, and happiness, she could hear in his voice. At that moment her heart was fuller than it had been for the entirety of her life and she could wish for nothing more.

James attempted to get off the bed in a single move but his injured leg gave out on him. Sirius got up and kept him upright for a moment, but the alcohol in his system made him lose his balance as well, and both men tumbled towards the bed together. They looked at each other, stupid smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations, Prongs," said Sirius sincerely.

James turned back to Lily, who had walked towards the bed and was now sitting next to James. The smile he gave her was all encompassing. Sirius detached himself from his friend and walked towards the door, happy as any man could be.

"You are the biggest blessing a single man can have," James said before Sirius heard them kiss. He smiled to himself.

Just as he was about to close the door, a shout stopped him in his tracks "And where exactly do you think you're going, Sirius Black?" demanded Lily.

"I thought to give you some privacy, Madame," he said, pushing the door back open and peeking in.

"Why, now that you have a proper excuse to drink yourself silly in celebration, you attempt to leave your drinking partner? And furthermore, you try to take the bottle with you! Disgraceful, _disgraceful_ , I tell you!" she teased, grinning at him.

"Well, Madame, after such a charge I could never take leave without having my honour sullied. I have no choice but to remain and finish the job of getting your husband smashed into oblivion," he replied formally.

"As it should be!" said Lily.

"Could I have scored any better woman, dear Padfoot?" James asked, looking at Lily adoringly.

"I dare say not, my esteemed Prongs," replied Sirius as he served his best friend another drink.

…

 **AN: Today's Rec is** **Too Little, Too Late by atruwriter. This is another author that isn't writing anymore but I probably subscribe to anything she published in FF. I love her work. This story is just a short, funny One Shot. Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday, December 7, 1989**

"You will give me what I want."

His voice was intimidating, she couldn't lie.

"You should know I've endured torture before." It was impossible to say the name of her torturer without giving something away. He would be impressed had she revealed it. "And I've lied successfully."

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

She couldn't answer that.

"I've been very clear, I won't answer any of your questions."

"If you know who I am, you'll know that you'd be wise to fear me." His tone grew graver and his expression darker but she wouldn't be persuaded.

"Such humility."

"Know that I will get what I want by whatever means necessary."

"Know that I'll keep my secrets by whatever means necessary."

"Then we find ourselves at an impasse."

"We do indeed."

The man sighed, exasperated, knowing what was to come.

"Is there no way I can persuade you to share with me what you know? I am willing to go to great lengths to hasten this process."

"There is no amount of money, power or influence you could offer me that would change my mind. You don't know of any family or friends I may have that you could threaten and I hold the information I hold above the value of my own life… so, no, you won't be able to coerce me into revealing a single thing."

"I could threaten the lives of other people, at random, in the hopes that you'll either know one of them or care about the lives of strangers."

"That would jeopardise the very information you're after. Kill the wrong person and my knowledge becomes useless. It would defeat the purpose, would it not?"

There was silence.

"But you already knew that," she said.

"I had hoped this could be avoided. It seems, however, there is no other way."

"None that I can think of if you are intent on destroying what I worked for my whole life. What countless people sacrificed for the very future you would risk if you continue down this path."

"I don't know that you are on the right side."

"Right or wrong I could not defend my position without putting everything at risk."

"Not necessarily."

"If I declare a side and it happens to _not_ be _your_ side, you'll know I'm trying to ensure your loss. On the other hand, If I declare otherwise, I would be likewise jeopardising a the very outcome you might be hoping for."

"Perhaps what you tell me will be satisfactory and I won't feel the need to act on it."

"Except knowing, anything at all, will change your reasoning, your thinking, and therefore your decisions."

"So my decisions will be important."

"I won't speak for the future, but there is at least one important decision you have to make, and it's the very one before you. At this moment you are attempting to disrupt time and space. I am half convinced my being here, having this conversation with you, has already had an impact on something or another, but it might be insignificant enough to repair itself. However, if you insist on this course of action, there is no doubt that something will change, for something will have changed inside you, that wouldn't have happened otherwise."

"Indeed. Then _why_ , if something will change no matter what, not simply tell me what I want to know?"

"I didn't say something will change no matter what, and you know it. You still have a choice. I don't think anything substantial has changed at this point. If you decide to proceed, then, that is another thing entirely."

He was conflicted, she could tell. An interesting array of expressions crossed his face, most of which she wouldn't hazard to guess what they were.

"Do you not understand that by giving me what I want you could be saving thousands of lives? Potentially even millions?"

"I think you meant to say 'risking thousands of lives... potentially even millions'."

"Will you not agree that you represent an inconceivable security threat? One that I couldn't possibly simply ignore."

"I can only say that it is inconsequential to my purposes. I won't say another word on the matter."

"It's settled, then, you leave me no other choice. I must change your mind… or break it."


End file.
